Tales of a Stitcher

Post navigation

The Great Alaskan Quilt Out- Grandma Patt- Part I

I decided at the beginning of the month it was time to finish some serious–as in decade old–UFOS. That’s quilter’s code for Un-Finished-Objects. I needed to dig those projects out and get closer on them.

I selected 14 completed quilt tops to finish. (I hope no one out there is going to judge me on this. ) For starters, I want to share the quilts I finished for our Alaskan Grandma Patt.

Patt Garrett and I met in 2001 when we both traveled down the dirt road that leads to McCarthy, Alaska.

We were there to attend a writing workshop at the Wrangell Mountains Center, and while we were writing we both feel in love with the place. We became friends and each year we would see each in McCarthy for this workshop.

We always have a good time together.

In 2010, we became neighbors in downtown McCarthy. Here are our cabins in the winter. Ours is green. Grandma Patt’s is red.

Here is Patt’s Taj Mahal in progress.

She is constantly working on it. In this photo, she is loading up wood for my McCarthy Studio. She rented a U-Haul and loaded it up with supplies for both of our cabins. We say the Jones are easy, it’s the Garrett’s you’ve got worry about.

This is our little cabin in the winter.

And in the summer.

Town lots are very small. Check out how close Tripp’s snowman is to Patt’s cabin.

And here in the summer when Lobo’s pigs came for a visit. That’s our woodshed in the background just feet away from Patt’s back door.

All of this is to say, it’s a good thing we love each other as I think on a quiet night she can probably hear Walt snore.

I do believe that both of our cabins were built in the early 1920’s. While we’ve done all kinds of weird updates to our cabin–fushia window trim and wacky stain glass. Patt strives for a more historically accurate look.

I have two old quilt tops I had purchased on EBAY. They are nothing special–perfect for a cabin were dirt is trampled in with every step.

I have been wanting to quilt them for her for five years…. I wanted to do something simple but personal. What to do? The first quilt is a simple bar quilt.

It is not even very well pieced. The maker couldn’t be bothered to trim up her edges on the perimeter of the quilt.

Or inside for that matter.

But the colors and prints are nice.

Still, I had no idea what to do with the vertical green spacers that divided the pieced prints.

As I was loading the quilt, it hit me. Why not write in that green space! I’ve been wanting to write with my long arm forever, and now was the time.

To be continued….or to put it another way Grandma Patt has a slumber party.

you have no idea how beautiful this post is and how it touched me. I cried. I still do not have access to MY computer… I am pirating the ole folks home computer late at night with my wine glass and tears. My mom is slipping back and both girls in hospital with female stuff. I sooo needed my McCarthy fix. thank you dear maria. Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 03:23:25 +0000 To: pmgarrett@hotmail.com